Betsafe Ontario Review 2023

Betsafe will be one of the best legal Ontario betting sites when the new market opens. Previously existing Ontario customers will be invited to shift from their Malta-based site to their licensed Ontario site in early 2023 once they are live.  You may know them as a brand already, as Betsafe made significant media buys on Canadian Television and is the main sports betting brand for Canada of parent company, Betsson AB, which is based in Sweden.  

Betsson AB recently won an award for 'Safer Gambling Operator of the Year' for their work in ID verification, support for those with problem gambling issues as well as player safeguards.  This work is simply part of the Betsson AB and Betsafe approach to their betting and gaming products. They are truly interested in operating in a sustainable fashion.  This is good news, but the better news for Ontario players is that their betting platform will be exceptional.  Until that time, players across Canada, outside Ontario can play on the Betsafe version dedicated for the Rest of Canada as based in their Malta jurisdiction.

Betsafe Ontario mobile sports betting experience

Betsafe will offer their platform to players in Ontario via their brand new mobile app - and it is super slick.  They launched a similar bespoke sports betting app for their launch in Colorado, to rave reviews from impartial testing analysts.  The Betsafe Ontario app is essentially the same as that, but even more tailored to Ontario tastes.  If you bet from your mobile, Betsafe's app must be in one of the podium positions in terms of the best user experience in the province.

While we strongly prefer operators to offer both a mobile site and and app, so that customers have this choice, the Betsafe app is so strong and their parent company, Betsson, is such a worthy operator, that we are making an exception in recommending their platform to our Ontario audience.  The reality is that even if you use a mobile betting site in Ontario, the AGCO rules require that players need to verify their location using a geolocation authenticator app anyway. While we always have data privacy concerns with regard to app usage, Betsson AB is one of the few operators we like and trust enough to make this kind of exception.  

Betsafe Ontario betting site experience - computer

Betsafe leverages Betsson's brand new sportsbook platform.  With it, Ontario players get an ultra-quick experience, no matter if you want to access their site from your mobile, tablet or computer.  From, your computer there is essentially zero lag as you switch between leagues to view available betting markets, or as you look to load all the markets for a single particular event.  

When accessed from your computer, Betsafe offers a traditional layout with the league and sport navigation displayed down the left-hand side.  The convenience quick links are tuned for most common Canadian and Ontarian sporting tastes.  You are not getting a re-packaged version of a site meant for a European audience.  This is authentically for our Canadian sporting tastes.  Of course if you have slightly less common tastes in your sporting preferences, they are easily found in the A-Z navigation or via the search utility.

Payment methods at Betsafe for Ontario

Prior to entering the legal Ontario market, Betsafe for Canada supported Visa, Mastercard, Interac e-transfers, MuchBetter, ecoPayz, Citadel Instant Banking and paysafecard. Expect these payment methods to carry over for them into the legal Ontario market, and perhaps some new ones will arrive. We will update as we learn more.

Betsafe odds margins (sportsbook hold)

On the leagues and sports that Ontarians and Canadians love the most, the so-called 'big four' of the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB, you will find margins in the region of 4% to 5%, which is typical of sportsbooks that look to offer competitive odds on these leagues.  When both sides of a 2-way betting market have these margins at Betsafe Ontario, you will see odds of 1.91/1.91 or -110/-110.  Of course, the odds may shift on any given event so that they are not identical on each side, but with the same margin level, you might see odds of 1.95/1.87 or -105/-115.

When it comes to various futures betting markets, those long-term markets where a bettor may select the team that might win the championship, Betsafe tends to offer lower margins than their competitors as they often have the highest odds on many of the available bets.

For fans of soccer and more 'international' sports, this where Betsafe really shines, due to their large and international customer base.  While you will be betting with their Ontario platform, they balance their overall wager liabilities with betting volumes across their international markets in Europe and around the world.  This means that they do significant volume on a sport like soccer.  Many sportsbooks in Ontario offer margins around 6% on the top European leagues.  Not Betsafe, as you will find margins of just 3% to 4%.  6% margin (what the competition keeps) is 100% more margin than 3%. Thus you should notice that Betsafe is offering better odds than their competition on soccer, more often.

Betsafe sport & league coverage for Ontario

As an international gaming company with players around the globe, as well as a business-to-business sportsbook platform that is sold to other gaming companies, Betsafe knows that it must offer some of the most robust coverage of leagues and sports, and this is true of their sportsbook offering for Ontario.  They understand that Canada and Ontario has a diverse population, so they offer betting coverage on all important events, whether they are the most popular ones in Canada such as the so-called 'big four' leagues, or the more obscure sports for the masses like cricket and rugby.  

This means that for the most popular leagues and sports in Ontario, you will find a wealth of available pre-match and in-play betting markets.  For 'international' sports fans, you won't be disappointed.  With enough betting volume from their large customer base, you will find competitive odds and plenty of ways to bet on events that don't get top billing in Ontario, but are seriously popular in other parts of the world.  

Betsafe Esports betting coverage

Betsafe offers excellent esports betting market coverage for Ontario, Canada & its global customers.  You will note that 'Esports' is accessible from the normal A-Z navigation from within the sportsbook, or as its own gaming vertical along the upper navigation with the likes of other gaming categories. Betsafe understands that some esports fans are not really sports fans.  So in case these esports-only fans need help in finding their destination, Betsafe has doubled up in placement. 

Rest assured though, if you are a fan of both regular sports and esports, you will be able to mix and match events onto a parlay or Round Robin style bet.  When it comes to esports coverage, Betsafe gets a solid grade, likely a 'B' to 'B+' in terms of event coverage.  At the time of writing this preview, there were 30 matches upon which you might bet, spread across seven total CS:GO and Dota2 events.  Most of these matches had over 40 pre-match betting markets available, or ways that you could place a bet.  In other words, their Ontario platform will have a very respectable esports offering.

Betsafe's other gaming types in Ontario: Poker & casino

Betsafe is part of one of the biggest gaming companies in the world in 'Betsson AB'.  As such, from the same account as your sportsbook, you will have access to one of the best legal Ontario online casinos, which offers RNG casino games & slots, plus live casino games that use real dealers to run your games.  Visit the Betsafe Ontario casino now & see their $1,000 bonus offer. 

They also offers a top-notch online poker room where you can play against real people. Poker is not available at most legal Ontario iGaming sites, as a solid poker experience requires many players to be online playing at any moment in time. Their poker platform has the scale to offer a game whenever you want one. Get started with Betsafe poker now and get their freeroll offer.

Betsafe Canada & Ontario withdrawal limits & win limits

When it comes to making withdrawals, Betsafe has a 24 hour withdrawal limit of 50,000 Euros or currency equivalent, which is approximately 72,000 CAD per day.  There is no annual or monthly withdrawal limit like those that can be found at some new operators to the Canadian market.

The maximum win limits are 120,000 CAD per day, 300,000 CAD per week and 600,000 CAD per month. These win limits refer to the profit on a 'win'.  Money that is returned stake money is not included in these figures.  While these limits may not be the absolute highest that you can find from reputable providers for Ontario and Canada, they are sufficient for most high stakes sports bettors.

History of Betsafe

Betsafe as a brand was launched in 2006 from Norway, though it was regulated from the iGaming jurisdiction of Malta. The brand was initially focused on Scandinavian markets of Sweden, Finland and Norway. Just five years later in 2011, as a fast-growing competitor in these key Nordic markets, gaming giant Betsson AB acquired them for €60 million.

The Ontario legal market and the rest of Canada (via Malta) are key markets for Betsafe going forward.  The brand also serves players from over 100 countries with national licenses to operate legally in Sweden, Ireland, the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, as well as several growing Latin American markets. Their parent company, Betsson AB, is traded on the Nasdaq Stockholm under the symbol 'BETS-B'. 

Betsafe Ontario bottom line: exceptional

If the legal Betsafe Ontario offering carries over from the previous offering for Canada, it will be an exceptionally good experience all around for Ontario sports bettors.  You will get an excellent & intuitive platform with comprehensive sport and league coverage that includes loads of pre-match and in-play betting markets.  Odds margins range from competitive to very-competitive, no matter your sport and league of choice.  When you add it all together underneath the umbrella of a corporation that has won awards for being a sustainable and safer operator, Betsafe is in a small group of the absolute best sports betting and igaming operators for Ontario players.